DELAND, Fla. (November 10, 2017) – The Warriors played like a team with nothing to lose early, and it showed as the Webber International University men's basketball team shot 62 percent from the field in the first half and led by two at the intermission before ultimately falling to NCAA Division-I Stetson University, 98-89, in a tightly contested game on Friday at Edmunds Center.

In a game that counted as an exhibition for the Warriors, Johnathan Childs led the way for Webber with a game-high 22 points, and was impressive shooting from everywhere on the court. Childs finished 7-of-12 from the field, 4-for-4 from 3-point range, and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

In all, the Warriors made nine of their 12 3-pointers in the first half as a trey by Joseph Serrano one minute and 20 seconds in gave Webber its first lead at 3-2. From there, Childs took over offensively as he scored 11 of the Warriors next 15 points to make it 18-17 Webber just over eight minutes in.

Webber then used a huge 18-6 scoring run to turn a five-point deficit (25-20) into a seven-point lead (38-31) as Childs connected on his fourth 3-pointer of the opening half with just over six minutes remaining. Childs finished with nine points during the run while Serrano added six.

The Warriors largest lead of the first half came after a three by Osandai Vaughn with six and a half minute to go to make it 41-33 before the Hatters closed the period on a 14-8 run to pull within two at 49-47.

"It was exciting to play a D1 game on ESPN3," said Head Coach Allen Corbin. "I think we were very well prepared and came out with a bunch of energy. The guys fought through adversity the entire game and really competed for 40 minutes."

Stetson started the second half with two layups in the first minute to re-take the lead, and then after two free throws by Vaughn tied it at 51-51 with 18:50 on the clock, the Hatters took the lead for good. The Warriors stayed within striking distance the rest of the way, but were never able to put together the run needed to tie the score or take another lead.

Serrano was the third of three players among both teams in the game to reach the 20-point scoring mark as he finished with 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, and was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and 2-for-2 on free throws. Serrano also added a team-high eight rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals, while Childs also helped out on the boards with seven rebounds.

Coming off the bench, Garrett Woodmansee provided three 3-pointers to finish with 11 points. Vaughn had nine-points and a team-high four assists, and Tommie Luke added seven points. Freshman Austin Evans, who has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Warriors, pulled in six rebounds and added four points.

"Our seniors really stepped up and I'm sure our younger guys will learn and grow from this experience," added Corbin. "We need to forget this game and move on toward Edward Waters, who has a very talented team."

Webber and Edward Waters College will meet for the second time this season as the Warriors prepare for a quick return to regular-season action in Jacksonville, Florida, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. The Warriors defeated the Tigers by 18 during the first meeting between the two teams during Webber's season opener on November 1.

Impressively for the Hatters on Friday, Angel Rivera tied a 35-year old Stetson record with 15 assists, matching the total originally set by Brad Weston against Louisiana-Lafayette on January 18, 1982.